The Ottawa Citizen has a very good editorial on the practice of police intimidation of citizens who use their cellphone cameras and other devices to record the police.

Here's a summary of what Canadians should know about this:

There is no law in Canada that prevents a member of the public from taking photographs or video in a public place (other than some limitations related to sensitive defense installations);

There is no law in Canada that prevents a member of the public from taking photographs or video of a police officer executing his or her duties in public or in a location lawfully controlled by the photographer (in fact, police officers have no privacy rights in public when executing their duties);

Preventing a person from taking photos or video is a prima facie infringement of a person's Charter rights;

You cannot interfere with a police officer's lawful execution of his or her duties, but taking photos or videos does not, in and of itself, constitute interference;

A police officer cannot take your phone or camera simply for recording him or her, as long as you were not obstructing;

These privileges are not reserved to media -- everyone has these rights;

A police officer cannot make you unlock your phone to show him or her your images; and

A police officer cannot make you delete any photos. ( I got this from the Canadian Privacy Law Blog and wanted to share with everyone in Canada.)